Apparatus for sinking wells



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE MICHAEL STOPPER, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

APPARATUS FOR SINKING WELLS.

SPECIFICATI [ON forming part of Letters Patent No. 329,968, dated November 10, 1885.

Application filed September 14, 1885. Serial No. 171,034.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, MIOHAEL STOPPER, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Cincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented certain new'and useful Improvements in Apparatus for Sinking Wells, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates more particularly, though not exclusively, to wells for supplying distilleries and other manufacturing establishments which require a large supply of water, to afford which wells must'be of considerable diameter and usually of considerable depth; and the invention consists in mechanism, substantially as hereinafter described and claimed, by means of which the walls of the well may be constructed at the surface of the ground and gradually sunk as the process of excavating proceeds.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a Vertical section of a well constructed in accordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a top plan View of the foundation-shoe; Fig. 3, an elevation of the lower portion of the well; Fig. 4, a section on the line 4 4 of Fig. 1, and Fig. 5 a section of the foundation-shoe upon a larger scale.

A represents a shoe constituting the foundation for the wall of a well, said shoe consisting of the wooden portion A, secured by iron hands a and shoe-plates a which face both sides of the wood-work, and are securely clamped by bolts passing through the same, and also through the iron bands.

B represents the curb or wall of the well, which is secured to the shoe-plate and held in (No model.)

line therewith by anchor-rods b, which may be provided at suitable distances with anchor-plates b.

C O are steps for convenient access, and D D girders for supporting pumps or other apparatus.

The process of constructing a well by means of my invention is as follows: A slight excavation having been made, the shoe is placed therein, and a wall of brick or other masonr built thereon of sufficient height to weight the shoe. The excavation is then continued, the shoe and the wall thereon sinking by its own weight as the work progresses, and additions being made to the wall as the shoe sinks.

In this way a wall in which the masonry is thoroughly set is always opposed to the surrounding earth, the necessity of temporary sheathing is dispensed with, and all danger of the sides caving in and the influx of water from the sides is prevented.

I claim as my inveuti0n- 1. The herein-described apparatus for sinking wells, consisting of a foundation-shoe constructed substantially as described, in combination with a wall constructed as the excavation proceeds, and anchor-rods therein.

2. The combination of a foundation-shoe composed of wooden sections A, bands at, and shoe-plates a, with the anchor-rods b,pr0vided with anchor-plates b, and the walls of a well, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

MICHAEL STOPPER.

, Witnesses:

EDWARD R. TISOHLER, LOUIS BURGER. 

